Harden enjoys a win after wild All-Star weekend

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Playing a week after suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of the Rockets’ last game before the break, Harden was on the floor for 26 minutes. ( James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle )

James Harden’s first All-Star Game highlight Sunday night was a blast from his past, followed by a long-range shooting exhibition that Rockets fans hope will represent his future.

Harden, the Rockets guard obtained from Oklahoma City before the season, linked up with former Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook for a textbook lob/slam combination during the first quarter of Sunday night’s All-Star Game at Toyota Center.

In the third quarter, he added a pair of 3-pointers to help the Western Conference All-Stars stretch their lead in a 143-138 win over the East, then added another 3-pointer in the opening minutes of the fourth.

Playing a week after suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of the Rockets’ last game before the break, Harden was on the floor for 25:50, scoring 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting, including 3 of 8 on 3-pointers, with three assists and six rebounds.

His 15 points were the most a Rockets player has scored in an All-Star Game since Tracy McGrady’s 36 in the 2006 game at Toyota Center.

“It felt good to go out there and play with all these great players for my first time,” he said. “I tried to make as many shots as possible. I couldn’t make a layup, but I had a couple of 3s.”

With the game in question, he was on the floor down the stretch with former teammate Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul as the West held on for the win.

“We talked to him about his ankle,” said West coach Gregg Popovich of the Spurs. “He felt it was no problem, and we tried to get him a little extra time here in Houston.”

Harden said his ankle was in good shape and that he enjoyed with entire scope of the weekend.

“Being in Houston, all the fun times, the laughs, the NBA Cares events, the Saturday night appearances, meeting people, and the game summed it up,” he said.

Durant, the former University of Texas standout who had a game-high 30 points, said he enjoyed being back on the floor with Harden.

“It was fun. Playing with him made me miss him a little bit in OKC,” said Durant. “But I’m happy he’s an All-Star, especially in the city where he plays. It was a lot of fun. I didn’t want it to be over.”

Harden said he misses his old teammates, too, but enjoyed the chance to spend time with them in practice and at Friday’s charity events.

“When you leave someone, you’re definitely going to miss them,” he said. “This weekend, it was good to see each other and catch up on good times.”

He also praised Popovich’s approach to the game adding, “He said ‘Don’t treat this like an All-Star Game. Go out and try to win. You’re in the middle of the season and don’t want to create any bad habits.’”

The game was the capper of a busy break for Harden, who joined his mother, Monja Willis, on Friday for a volunteer stint at the Houston Food Bank and was a coach during Friday night’s celebrity game.

Today, it’s likely back to rehab work on the ankle as he prepares for the Rockets’ next game Wednesday night at home against, coincidentally, the Thunder as All-Star teammates Westbrook and Durant morph back into opponents once more.